MINSK, September 18. /TASS/. CIS observers are monitoring the elections of State Duma members in 20 regions of Russia, the Commonwealth's Executive Committee has said.
According to the press service, on the first day of voting, the full CIS observer mission - comprising over 200 experts - began monitoring the electoral process.
"Observer operations at polling stations commenced at 8:00 a.m. on September 18 across 20 regions of Russia, including the Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Rostov, and Sverdlovsk regions, the Krasnoyarsk and Primorye regions, and the Republic of Tatarstan - as well as at Russian diplomatic missions abroad. Monitoring activities will continue until voting concludes at 8:00 p.m. on September 20," the Executive Committee stated.
During the process, short-term observers "monitor the precise and uniform execution by election commission members of all procedures" stipulated by election laws, the Executive Committee explained. The press service added that information regarding the observers' findings is being consolidated at the mission's headquarters and will form the basis of its statement on the election results.
The voting period to elect the 9th Russian State Duma is scheduled for September 18-20. For the first time ever, residents of the recently incorporated Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, will participate in legislative elections for the lower house of the Russian parliament. A total of ten parties are taking part in the election: United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), the Liberal Democratic Party of the Russian Federation (LDPR), New People, A Just Russia - For Truth, the Party of Pensioners for Social Justice, the Communists of Russia, Rodina, the Party of Direct Democracy, as well as the Greens Ecological Party.
Elections for regional legislative bodies will also be held in 39 Russian constituent entities, alongside elections for regional leaders. In eight regions, the leaders will be elected directly, while in three regions, they will be chosen by the regional parliaments. A total of 23,000 seats will be filled.
